白吃 (bái chī) — to eat without paying, to freeload (especially food or benefits)

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning to eat or take benefits without paying one's share. Often carries a social judgment — freeloading is frowned upon, as the examples show.

verb
to eat without payingto freeload (especially food or benefits)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 白吃，。
    Tā jīng cháng qù péng you jiā bái chī, cóng lái bú dài qián.
    He often goes to friends' houses to freeload and never brings money.
  • 白吃，。
    Nǐ zǒng zhè yàng bái chī, dà jiā huì bù gāo xìng de.
    If you always freeload like this, people will be unhappy.
  • 白吃，。
    Tā zài gōng sī bái chī le sān nián, shén me dōu méi zuò.
    He freeloaded at the company for three years and did nothing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

白báifree
吃chīeat

“白” (for nothing/free) describes the way “吃” (eating) happens.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

Open 白 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
乞
乞qǐ吃chī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

吃 combines 口 (mouth) with 乞, which gives the sound; it originally wrote a word meaning to stutter.

Open 吃 →

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